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Thank you for this opportunity to participate in this panel on the interface between research and policy. I want to congratulate the organizers of the Aboriginal Policy Research Conference for convening such a wide-ranging dialogue on the important goal of expanding our understanding of the social, economic and demographic determinants of Aboriginal well-being.
In the course of my remarks, I will focus on three points:
First, the importance of using a sound base of evidence in policy making – of which research is an important attribute, but not the only attribute.
Second, I want to talk about the importance of learning to the Aboriginal community. And I will argue that, while there is value in an integrated approach, we must remain sensitive to specific needs in First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities, as well as the different challenges facing Aboriginal peoples in urban and rural environments.
And third, I will talk about what CCL is doing to address knowledge gaps and providing evidence-based information. More specifically, how we have gone about creating an Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre – details of which I will announce later in my remarks.
Let me begin, then, with the premise that solid evidence is the basis of good decision-making. But evidence is much more than research. Evidence can come from many places. Not just academic research, but also from traditional knowledge and exemplary practices. Not just from universities and government agencies, but from within Aboriginal communities.
And gathering evidence is only part of the equation. The act of exchanging the knowledge gained is as important as the gathering of evidence.
The effort to gather evidence must extend beyond researchers, policy makers and academics to include the community groups and individuals who will be affected by the policy. This has become apparent in several realms of Aboriginal policy. Decision-makers on environment issues, for example, take advantage of community wisdom and anecdotal observation, in addition to empirical research, in assessing the long-term impact of change.
But the corollary is also true: the evidence gathered must be as accessible and relevant to affected people as it is to the experts who shape it into policy. This helps to involve the people who are most affected by the policy in making the decisions. In the learning community, we speak of demand-driven – or learner-driven – education. The more evidence Aboriginal communities have, the more they have the power to choose their futures.
By placing such emphasis on the importance of engaging the affected individuals or communities, I am not negating the need for rigour in academic research. We continue to rely upon peer review for quality and methodology. But we must not wind up with islands of academic excellence in seas of community indifference.
And I certainly contend that data is important. Measuring progress is the foundation for better performance – what gets measured is often what gets done. However, we also need to gather evidence beyond what is available through empirical data. We must find ways to use qualitative and narrative evidence that tells the stories of individuals and communities.
Finally, I want to emphasize that we need a pan-Canadian approach to the gathering and exchange of evidence. Not only should we gather evidence and data across the country, we must share it nationally in order to enable communities across the country to adopt effective practices.
My second theme involves the importance of learning to Aboriginal peoples.
Last November, when CCL was seeking advice and consensus on the creation of its Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre, we held a dialogue in Ottawa, at which the majority of participants were Aboriginal. We were told that Aboriginal peoples regard learning as much more that what happens in school, or developing the skills needed to enter the labour market. Learning is an integrated activity that involves all aspects of a person – our spiritual, intellectual, emotional and physical selves.
The Aboriginal view is reflected in concepts that are becoming more influential in many developed and developing nations around the world. In his 1996 report to the UNESCO, Jacques Delors described four pillars of learning that would enable individuals to achieve their full potential:
This approach to learning resonates with the traditional approaches taken by Aboriginal peoples. And that is one reason why we all have much to gain from a deeper understanding and appreciation of the learning cultures of Aboriginal peoples.
The relative youth of the Aboriginal communities must be seen a source of promise for the future. Because the Aboriginal population is young, improving approaches to learning within Aboriginal communities will set the path for success for generations to come.
But there are challenges as well: Auditor General Sheila Fraser said that based on current trends, high school completion rates of around 41 percent among Aboriginal people would take 28 years to reach national Canadian rates of nearly 70 percent. But I believe there is a new will to do what needs to be done to support stronger learning outcomes for Aboriginal people. The Kelowna Accord, for example, targets 2016 as the year in which we close the high school graduation gap – 10 years, rather than the 28 years predicted by the Auditor General. The new federal government has announced it intends to introduce a First Nations Education Act, and work with Aboriginal people to strengthen economic and education outcomes.
Unfortunately, there is insufficient knowledge about Aboriginal learning, development, knowledge and language, because much of the research has focused on their “incapacity.” There is a need to gather more evidence about the potential of Aboriginal communities to influence positive transformations in their own and in Canadian society. The curricula that are offered to Aboriginal students do not recognize the need for Aboriginal content and perspectives.
Some of the learning challenges faced by First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples are shared, but others are unique to each culture. As part of the development of our Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre, the Canadian Council on Learning commissioned studies prepared by representatives of each community. The Inuit paper, for example, identified a need for an Inuit-specific approach to education that would focus on such issues as history, rapid social changes, economic conditions, and geographical isolation. Métis peoples have felt challenged preserving their culture as they are schooled in the public system.
The purpose of measuring and gathering evidence is not to dwell on the negative but rather to identify where there are successful practices, and to gauge progress. We need an evidence-based approach that will provide the information needed for effective decision-making with respect to Aboriginal learning. And that is where the Canadian Council on Learning can make a major contribution.
At our National Dialogue on Aboriginal Learning in November, Aboriginal learners and educators shared some exemplary practices. Let me recount some of the things we heard.
Red Crow College is an independent community college on the Kainai (Blood) First Nation lands in Southern Alberta. It was founded in 1986 as an adult education centre, providing educational training opportunities to students of the Blood Tribe. Initial programming, which consisted of two high school courses, one University of Lethbridge course, and a study skills component, has expanded over the past 18 years to a point where Red Crow College is now a complete post-secondary institution, offering diploma and degree programs in partnership with the University of Calgary and the University of Lethbridge. Adult upgrading, continuing, and community education still remains a critical focus of the curriculum. The college also played a leadership role in founding the First Nations Adult and Higher Education Consortium of Canada with seven other First Nations Institutions of Adult Higher Education.
In Saskatchewan, the Gabriel Dumont Institute of Métis Studies and Applied Research is the only Métis owned educational institution of its kind in Canada. The Institute is responsible for the design, development and delivery of Métis programming at the post-secondary level. The Gabriel Dumont Institute offers programming such as the Saskatchewan Urban Native Teacher Education Programs located in the three urban centres of Prince Albert, Saskatoon and Regina. It is affiliated with both the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Regina. As part of the work of the Institute, the Dumont Technical Institute offers technical and vocational programs such as Adult Basic Education and skills training in various areas. To date more than 700 people have graduated from GDI programs.
Finally, we heard from an Inuit student who is now in his third year at Trent University in Peterborough who spoke of the “educational shock” he faced in his first year of studies – his high school courses did not provide him with the skills necessary to keep up with the volume of work required. After just three months he left the university to complete an extra year of high school in Peterborough before re-entering university. This is an example of how the education system failed the learner. He feels that schools in Nunavut must provide a stronger foundation in reading and writing skills, and offer summer school programs for students who wish to pursue higher education.
These are only a few examples of the knowledge and advice that was shared. How can we ensure that this experience and knowledge – and that of thousands of other engaged and committed Aboriginal learners – gets plugged into the decision-making process? That is one of the challenges that the Canadian Council on Learning will address.
Let me give you a bit of background on the Council. Many of you may recall that, several years ago, the federal government conducted a nation-wide consultation on innovation. The consultation asked the question, “What does Canada need to succeed in the knowledge society and economy?” Time and time again, Canadians from all walks of life responded, “a highly educated population.”
The government responded at many different levels. One response was to create the Canadian Council on Learning as a vehicle to provide a strategic and pan-Canadian perspective on learning. Our organization is built around a model of collaboration, inclusion and partnership. We foster partnerships among learning organizations, community groups, non-government organizations, governments and researchers.
We are still early in our mandate, but I can report that all of our partners in this endeavour share a passion. We are all dedicated to building a pan-Canadian roadmap for learning through the lifespan. We take an integrated approach to learning issues, involving the broad stakeholder community, including end users. As a result, we provide concrete evidence that helps policy makers, practitioners and learners.
The Council has identified five key areas for learning that require urgent attention. We want to address them from a pan-Canadian perspective, so we have created five regionally-based knowledge centres. These centres are responsible for building a national network of experts in each specific learning domain. A Knowledge Centre comprises three functional areas: monitoring and reporting; knowledge exchange; research and knowledge mobilization. It involves a network of practitioners, researchers, and other partners.
Our Adult Learning Knowledge Centre is located in Atlantic Canada. After all, this region has been very successful in developing a range of literacy and retraining programs that address the challenges many adults face. Quebec has invested in learning programs for young children for many years and is home to world-renowned experts in early learning. It should come as no surprise then that our knowledge centre for Early Childhood Learning is located in Quebec. For similar reasons we located our Work and Learning centre in Ontario, and our Health and Learning centre in British Columbia and the Yukon.
The fifth Knowledge Centre will focus on Aboriginal learning, and it will be located in the region that includes the Prairie provinces, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. As I mentioned earlier, our first step in creating this knowledge centre was to commission a foundation paper on the State of Aboriginal Learning, prepared by Aboriginal peoples. We then engaged in extensive dialogue with the Aboriginal community. Among the key criteria for the applications was the knowledge centre consortium must represent all three Aboriginal peoples – First Nations, Métis and Inuit – and be led by Aboriginal people.
The Knowledge Centre will facilitate relationships and exchange knowledge among researchers, policy makers, practitioners and learners. It will identify priorities for research and monitoring and reporting, and will lead activities that will enable all members of the Aboriginal learning community to benefit from the most current evidence and exemplary practices from across Canada and around the world.
I am delighted to provide a preview of the official announcement, which will be made next week. CCL received six excellent and innovative proposals to lead the centre, with broadly based consortia reflecting all aspects of aboriginal learning. The decision was difficult – so difficult in fact that we have chosen two organizations to co-lead the centre – the First Nations Adult Higher Education Consortium, and the Aboriginal Education Research Centre at the University of Saskatchewan. We determined that the breadth and scope of the consortium membership, which includes more than 50 organizations, the innovative approach to knowledge exchange and the solid understanding of the role of a CCL Knowledge Centre provided by these two organizations would provide the strongest leadership for CCL’s work in the field of Aboriginal learning.
Dr. Vivian Ayoungman, Executive Director of the First Nations Adult Higher Education Consortium, and Dr. Marie Battiste, Executive Director of the Aboriginal Education Research Centre, are with us today, and I would like to take a moment to recognize them.
The First Nations Adult Higher Education Consortium is composed of ten member colleges and adult training centres in Western Canada. FNAHEC is a non-profit organization that strives for First Nation success through education. Its mandate is to provide quality adult and higher education, controlled entirely by people of the First Nations.
The Aboriginal Education Resource Centre, housed in the College of Education at the University of Saskatchewan, is devoted to conducting ethical and appropriate research to address the challenge of finding a new foundation for curriculum and instruction of Aboriginal students that builds upon current successes.
CCL’s goal is to have the Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre become Canada’s leading network for the gathering and sharing of evidence related to Aboriginal Learning. Over the next few weeks we will work with Dr. Ayoungman and Dr. Battiste and the consortium members to develop an integrated business plan and a detailed work plan for the coming year. I am sure that many of you here in this room will be involved in the knowledge centre’s activities, and I look forward to working in collaboration with you.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Canadian Council on Learning wants to contribute to better learning opportunities and outcomes among Aboriginal people, and we know this can only be achieved by engaging Aboriginal people in developing solutions. I am confident that the Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre will be a valuable resource for all of you. It will gather and share evidence, not just research; it will identify constructive approaches to gauging progress in learning within the Aboriginal population, and it will determine areas where more evidence is required.
We are pursuing practical ends to effect real change. We want to ensure that evidence gets transmitted to those who can use it, in a way they can use it. Our approach is collaborative – as a Mi’kmaq elder once said – “The roots of a tree hold hands beneath the ground.” The tree gains strength from its roots, just as our knowledge centres gain strength from their membership.
I look forward to working with you to achieve these goals.
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